Uzukage
by DarkLordMist
Summary: 12 year old ninja failure Uzumaki Naruto escapes from Konoha after the village council ordered him executed. Running into two old friends of the past, Naruto begins his own hidden village. Pairings revealed later.
1. Lost

**Uzukage**

****

Summary: 12-year-old ninja failure Uzumaki Naruto escapes from Konoha after the village council ordered him executed. Running into two old friends of the past, Naruto begins his own hidden village.

**Disclaimer: I _wish _I owned Naruto.**

Naruto was running. Fast. Faster than he had ever before. Well, maybe except _that _time. But he wouldn't let _it _take control of him this time.

His feet raced through the grimy and damp mud. He was running in a tunnel, a dark and dirty tunnel, lighted only by small cracks and seemingly glowing rocks. The tunnel was poorly made, about two hundred feet under ground, grimy, smelly, and _suffocating_… but it was the only chance he had.

Finally, he saw the tunnel lead up. Racing uphill, Naruto slowed to see a small, grimy, dusty door that opened to the top…

He slowly opened the door, and peeked his head out.

No one.

Hopping out nimbly, Naruto closed the trapdoor, as he quickly slapped the dirt back into place, until the ground looked as if it hadn't been touched at all.

Using a large bush, he swept his footprints and nimbly hopped onto a rock, hoping he had done a good job of hiding his tracks.

Then, Naruto jumped into the air, racing through the trees, as he paused only to catch a quick breath and listen for any sound of pursuers.

Only the chirping of early morning birds reached his ear, as the rising sun shone upon his eyes.

Pushing himself off a branch, he once more began leaping from tree to tree, as fast as he could. He would reach the sea by noon.

He had to get away… as far away… as possible… from… "that"… place… 

**-Flashback-**

"The final test to become a genin is to see if you can mold your chakra to create the simplest of all jutsus… the _Bunshin_. Please line up, and be prepared to make two to pass." Announced Umino Iruka. The genin-to-be academy students lined up, each creating a successful pair of bunshins.

And then it was Naruto's turn.

"_Bunshin no Jutsu!_" Naruto yelled, hoping desperately that it would come out right.

It didn't.

Instead, about 50 green, sickly, Naruto-ish figures popped out, and the whole class stood in shock as the figures slowly turned to green slime and began oozing into people's shoes.

"EEEEEK!" screamed Sakura. "OH MY GOD!!!" cried Ino as she jumped onto a desk in fright.

Even Hinata, usually an admirer of Naruto, looked disgusted as the slime seemed to attack her first, swelling up to her knees. "A-a-no… Na-ru-ruto…kun… wh-what… did… y-y-you… do?" she whispered, tears spilling from her eyes, as she fainted onto a chair with a dull _thud_.

Inukaza Kiba was laughing his head off at the distress of the females as well as some males in the class. "Hahaha Naruto, you loser… can't even do a simple bunshin without making a whole mess!! Some ninja you are, hahahaha!"

Uchiha Sasuke only nodded coldly as he didn't even glance at the blonde. "Weakling." Was his only comment.

But the word that came out of Sakura's mouth was much more devastating to the young blonde boy. "_Monster_." She whispered.

Naruto's mind raced at a thousand miles per second. He was so frustrated… angry… annoyed… _bothered_… His dream was to become Hokage, to prove to the village that he was worthy of their respect, their admiration. But instead… he couldn't even do the simplest of jutsus without screwing up! Why was he such a failure?

But not only that… _why was he such a monster?_

Ever since he was a little kid, he had been treated like a piece of dirt on a clean table. He was trash, worthless garbage, and he was called that everyday, and treated like one. Only one food stand in the entire village allowed him to eat there- and that was the Ichikaru Ramen Stand. All, _all_, the other restaurants either had him banned, or due to the complaints of other customers, kicked him out as soon as possible.

_But then_, the Ichikaru Ramen Stand soon became known as the only restaurant that housed the _demon._ It became the _Demon _Stand. It was known as that to the rest of the village. And needless to say, old man Teuchi and his beautiful daughter Ayame… were soon forced to move to another village to do their business.

And that is why being called a monster, a demon, hurt Naruto _much, much, more_ than being called a piece of trash.

Because it meant that not only was he worthless… he was also _harmful_, to the safe and happy peoples of Konoha.

People like Teuchi and Ayame were hurt to be associated with him. He played pranks, trying to give people laughs, but instead, all he got were deadly glares and snarls, as the shinobi and villagers of Konoha had no tolerance for anything he did.

_You stain the village simply by existing._ Whispered a rather dark part of Naruto's mind. _You hurt everyone you come in contact with._

Naruto's dark thoughts occupied his attention, as he didn't even hear the furious screaming of Iruka. His other classmates had long since left, and it was just the two of them in the classroom now, both standing in knee-deep slime.

Iruka, the only teacher in the academy who treated Naruto with a _tiny bit _of respect, the only teacher who ever showed him a _tiny bit _of care, was hurt too. When the Academy Students were tested, many chuunin, some jounin, and even the Hokage sometimes came to watch. In the eyes of a teacher, every student that passed would show how good the teacher was. Iruka had hoped to pass the entire class with flying colors, thus increasing the chances of becoming jounin.

But now…

"Naruto… you disrespected me… in front of my superiors…" Iruka said softly, gravely, "sorry… but I cannot pass you… Naruto… just leave…"

"Hahaha, Iruka, your superiors will be hearing of this!!" A watching chuunin had cackled before he walked out laughing with several of his friends.

Naruto only nodded weakly. Then he stepped through the slime, in the direction of the door.

"Wait!" Iruka called after him.

Naruto spun around. _Perhaps he would get another chance? Or Iruka-sensei felt sorry for him and would pass him? _

"Clean it up. Oh… be sure to fill out the registration papers if you want… _sigh_… to reenter the ninja academy."

Naruto's heart sank. Well, it didn't just sink… it _drowned_. The entire academy career was five years, and those who didn't pass, were forced to stay for _three_ more years. This is because the academy exam to pass, was so ridiculously easy, that any wannabe-shinobi who failed it was considered a failure of a shinobi, and usually not encouraged to return to the trade. If they did return, they would be punished with 3 extra years, of humiliating lessons with _8 year olds_ as they were retaught.

Iruka took one long look at Naruto, but the blonde didn't look up. Looking at the slime, he pulled out a mop, and began to mop… and mope.

Sighing, Iruka left the room, his mind hoping that Naruto would realize that _he simply wasn't cut out for a shinobi_.

But then… his dream of becoming Hokage would be ruined… 

**-End Flashback-**

Naruto stopped, panting for breath. Three hours of non-stop running had left him exhausted. But now, it was crucial that he took this slowly.

Shifting lightly on the tree he was on, he heard several footsteps about fifty feet in front of him. He hid himself behind the leaves as best as he could.

"Gai-sensei, did you hear that?" Asked a young man.

"My beloved Lee, I did, but it was soft enough to be either a squirrel or a very pretty little girl!! Believe me, if it were any threat, I will beat the enemy into submission and show them the true power of youth, and if I couldn't, then I will do two thousand pushups with a boulder on my back!!" A deep man's voice rang out.

"YOSH!! And if you cannot do two thousand pushups with a boulder on your back, then Gai-sensei, I will do _three _thousand pushups with _TWO_ boulders on my back!!!" The first voice, apparently, a young man named Lee, yelled excitedly.

"And if you cannot do three thousand pushups with two boulders on your back, then I will do _four_ thousand pushups with _TEN_, do you hear that, TEN boulders on my back. And HAHAHAHAHA Ten-ten boulders on my back TENTEN did you hear the amazing pun I just thought of IT WAS BRILLIANT get it??!! Ten boulders on my back, Ten-ten, HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!"

"Oh dear God." Muttered a third voice, a female voice this time, who sounded _very_ annoyed and exasperated.

"OSSSU!! That was an AMAZING pun Gai-sensei!! And if I cannot think of a better pun than Ten boulders on my back then I will run _FIVE _thousand miles around Neji!!!"

"YITTAEE!!! And if you cannot run five thousand miles around Neji then I will run _TEN_ thousand miles around _TENTEN_, HAHAHAHAHAHA I just made another pun, _TEN_ thousand miles around _TENTEN_, that's like, a HUGE pun!!"

"HAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!!" Naruto couldn't stop himself from his uncontrollable laughter at these two dumbasses who apparently had never heard a joke in their lives. And the man Gai-sensei clearly had no idea what a pun was. But as he laughed, suddenly the presences ahead of him became _very_ still. _SHIT now they noticed me!!_ _Better think of something quick…_

"HAHA-haha-ga-ga-Kaka ka KA KA KA KA KA KWAL KWAL KOOKOO KOO KOO WOO WOO WOO WOO CROWCROWCROWCROW…" choked Naruto trying to make all different kinds of bird noises, hoping to pass off his sudden laughter as a lot of crazy avians in a bloodthirsty hunt for rodents.

"Ok… that did _not_ sound right" Said the female voice, apparently Tenten. "Neji, can you do the Byukagan?"

"Yea. Let me put down my pack." Said the fourth voice, apparently a young man named Neji.

_Shit shit shit!!! _Naruto thought as he looked frantically around him. He knew that the Byukagan, the Hyuuga Clan's legendary Kekkei Genkai, would be able to detect him…

Better think of something fast…! 

**-Flashback-**

Three hours later after a long "mopping," night had long settled in, as Naruto left the empty Academy. Throwing the mop to a side, he sat down on a rock, and began to sob.

Why… was he… not only a worthless piece of trash… but also… a monster… who hurt people… and a failure… who clearly would never realize his 'dream' of becoming Hokage… why couldn't he ever do ANYTHING right?!!

"I'm sorry Iruka-sensei…" Naruto whispered as he cleaned his worn orange jumpsuit with a stick. He had had this suit, and only this suit for years… he had found it in the trash, because no _respectable _clothing store would let him buy their clothes.

"Naruto?"

The blonde boy looked up, his heart racing with fear and hope. Was it Iruka-sensei, coming to apologize? Even if not to apologize, even if just to rant some more, Naruto wanted nothing more than to cry out apology after apology for his failure and making Iruka-sensei look bad in front of all those watchers.

But it wasn't Iruka. Instead, it was their other sensei… Opotsu Mizuki.

Unlike Iruka, Mizuki downright ignored Naruto for the past five years. While he never actually called Naruto a monster, he had always looked at Naruto with a bit of a sneer, as if he were too good to talk to such a 'dobe.'

This time, however, Mizuki had a different gleam in his eye, as Naruto looked up to see. He had not so much a sneer, but rather a smirk.

"Listen… Naruto, I will tell you… of another way to pass…" The man gave an evil smile, undoing it quickly, as Naruto, with eyes shining with hope, turned to look at the man.

**-End Flashback-**


	2. Rescue

**Uzukage**

Summary: 12-year-old ninja failure Uzumaki Naruto escapes from Konoha after the village council ordered him executed. Running into two old friends of the past, Naruto begins his own hidden village.

**Disclaimer: I _wish _I owned Naruto.**

"_Byukagan!_" Neji said forcefully as the veins around his eyes swelled until they were clearly visible.

"Anything? Or… anyone?" Tenten asked.

"No. Just some birds and a lot of ants. Let's keep moving." Neji grabbed the bag he was holding and released his Byukagan.

Gai-sensei, who had apparently been abnormally quiet the whole time, broke out into a blinding smile. "Team Gai is victorious once more!!" He roars as he reveled in the power of youth.

"Uh, sensei, we didn't defeat anyone." Tenten deadpanned.

"OSSU! We must have scared off the enemy with our brilliant fires of youth! Fear not my youthful students, the time will come where we will face the bloodthirsty birds that had cawled just before and prove VICTORIOUS!!"

Just then, a bunch of birds flew onto the tree Gai was under and began chirping like mad while pooping on his head.

"GAAAAAH!!! I AM BEING TAINTED BY THE HORRIFIC IMPURITIES OF LIFE!! MY FELLOW STUDENTS, WE SHALL MAKE OUR LEAVE FROM THIS IMPURE LAND!!!"

One "OSSU!!" and two drawn-out _sighs_ followed, before the team of four made their way out of the "impure" land.

Naruto peeked out of the trees and laughed quietly, greatly relieved. _What an escape!! _He gloated in his mind. When Neji prepared to do the Byukagan, Naruto quickly made over 300 Kage Bunshins and had them all henge into ants or birds. To do so, however, he had to exhaust most of his chakra by burning most of it, and using a tiny bit for each clone so that Neji would not suspect anything wrong with the "chakra-jacked" ants and birds.

It was the only way to escape the Hyuuga's notice. Kami, I'm tired.

Naruto pulled out the small blanket that the old man had packed in his knapsack, settled it onto the ground, and slowly went to sleep, his face basking in the afternoon sun.

**-Flashback-**

The task was simple. Retrieve the Forbidden Jutsu Scroll while the Hokage was in the bathroom.

Since the ANBU was guarding the Hokage, and not the _room_, no one noticed as a small blonde boy climbed along the sides of the tower and into the room, quickly snatching the forbidden scroll jutsu list.

Jumping down, Naruto broke into a run, incredibly relieved that no one had came after him. "_Whew… don't want this day… to turn any worse…" _he thought sadly.

Coming into a small hidden clearing amongst the forest, Naruto panted heavily as he tiredly set the scroll onto the ground. He was _so _tired… he had not had dinner or lunch, and his only breakfast was a half-eaten cup of leftover cup-ramen.

_But now is not the time to think about food_, he thought, as he unrolled the scroll curiously to see exactly what secrets lay within…

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu 

Much like a regular Bunshin, this special jutsu requires only one handseal, but also an immense amount of chakra and willpower. The secret to using this skill is to think of yourself as many pieces, and then splitting them up, in order to successfully mold the chakra to perform Kage Bunshin.

Naruto wrinkled his eyebrows. It seemed easy enough, although he was really not comfortable with the Bunshin part of the Jutsu. It had always, always, been his absolutely worst skill.

Naruto continued to read…

Rather than being mere shadows, these clones have actual substance. They have their own freewill, but obey the commands of their creator. Their intelligence and wit usually ranges from a fourth to a half of their creator. A Kage Bunshin, once dispelled, will return all the memories to the original, making this jutsu ideal for scouting and guarding.

Naruto's eyes widened. Real bunshins? The more Naruto thought about it, the more he marveled at the infinite amount of usages one could use with such a jutsu… immediately… he thought about using Kage Bunshin with Henge no Jutsu to create a massive army of different people!

Just as he was about to form the seal to try it out, he felt a presence in front of him.

"Hehehe… good job Naruto, you got the scroll. Now hand it over." Mizuki had a triumphant smirk on his face, as he leaned against a tree trunk.

Naruto looked at him with narrowed eyes. "I thought the test was to simply see if I could retrieve the scroll. I did it, now where's my hitae-ate?"

Mizuki just stared for a moment. Then he nearly fell over laughing. "Hahahahaha!! You actually believed that stealing one of the most precious scrolls in Konohagakure history would let you PASS? HAHAHAHAHA!!! If anything, you'll be locked up in jail for treason!!"

Naruto stared at him, horrified, realizing what he had done. If they catch me… I'll be in deep shit…

"Now give it to me. I'll take good care of it, and don't worry, I won't mention a word of this to anybody." Mizuki said, still smiling.

Naruto growled. He had been used. Like a puppet. A slave.

And now, he was cornered… an untrained 'academy' student like him, versus a chuunin… there was simply no way he could fight out of this…

But he would damn himself to hell before running away like a coward!!

"Sorry Mizuki-sensei, I'm going to return it to the Hokage-sama." Naruto responded, trying to keep his voice as even as possible, while inside he was shaking with fear. Mizuki had just admitted his intent on stealing the scroll for himself… now that he had betrayed Konoha, he would really have no further qualms about killing his former student…

Mizuki raised an eyebrow, then laughed maniacally. "I see then… hahaha… then, I will kill you myself, DEMON! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Naruto stepped back into fighting position as Mizuki pulled out a huge shruiken. "Bite the dust, demon!!"

He threw it at Naruto, who just barely managed to dodge it by rolling onto the ground.

But Mizuki, a trained ninja, obviously knew that the first attack usually missed. Immediately, he had several kunai flinging towards the helpless Naruto on the ground.

"ARRGGHHH!!" screamed Naruto as a kunai pierced his shoulder blade and another his thigh. Blood gushed out as he panted, trying to get away from the teacher who was going to kill him.

I can't do anything… I can't perform a single jutsu… I won't be able to dodge the next attack…

I've been slacking off too much… I've pulled too many pranks… I never realized that I would be this far behind… Mizuki…

He hung his head as flashes of his fellow classmates' words rang in his ear. "Weakling." "Loser." And worst of all… "Monster…"

As Mizuki triumphantly pulled out another large shruiken, Naruto's life flashed before his eyes.

_Naruto, as a 4-year-old, crying as the orphanage kids all ganged up on him and beat him up, just because he accidentally broke one of the best toy kunai… and the adults didn't do anything about it, but rather, laughed under their sneering masks, inserting comments like "getting what he deserves," and "monster… demon…"_

_Naruto, as a 6-year-old, alone, in the dark alley where the only food he could find was in trash cans… after being kicked out of the orphanage for the 9th time…_

_Naruto, as a 7-year-old, briefly overwhelmed with joy when he found out that the Hokage had rented out a small, but livable apartment for Naruto. Never had he felt so much gratitude, for the one of the few who did not treat Naruto like the monster everyone thought he was…_

_Naruto, as a 10-year-old, drawing on the Hokage monument, hoping to get some laughs out of the bored academy students, and maybe even make a friend. Of course, everyone just cursed at him, and he even broke a part of the Sandaime's nose, which made people furious._

_All my life… I've been nothing but a useless, worthless monster… instead of bringing joy to others, I bring pain and humiliation, like I did to Teuchi and Ayame an-and Iruka-sensei…_

Naruto looked up as a smirking Mizuki flung the large shruiken at him at point-blank range. His body ached as his wounds gashed out more and more blood, his mind becoming fuzzy.

I deserve this… I deserve to die… this way… Konoha will finally be rid of its most annoying pest… that's all I am… and as for me… I'll finally be done with all the pain… I can finally leave the life that I should have never been born into…

"**NARUTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!**"

All of a sudden, a figure flew in front of the little blonde boy who had been ready to die… and took a heavy hit to his own body…

"GAAAAAAH!" screamed Iruka as he convulsed in pain, the huge Shruiken sticking out of his back like a mechanical wheel.

"IRUKA-SENSEI!!!" Naruto cried as he saw and realized what had happened.

Mizuki chuckled. "My, my, my, Iruka, I never in my wildest dreams did think that you would sacrifice your life… and for a demon, a demon… which you seem to forget…"

Iruka's blood flowed freely out as he gagged, "No… Mi-mizuki… don't… don't say it…"

Mizuki laughed evilly. "Still the ever peaceful and loyal shinobi, the mindless tool of the Hokage? Iruka, you amuse me to no end! But I'm not going to listen to a dying man like you. Surely, Naruto, you must be confused to no end at how dear little Iruka over here has sacrificed his life for YOUR life, that he had given his life in order to allow the demon, the nine-tails Kyuubi no Youki to live on AS ITS HUMAN FORM!!!!" Mizuki cackled as his words became louder and louder.

"NO MIZUKI, NO!!" cried Iruka as Naruto look horrified beyond belief.

"You see, Naruto, when you were born, the Kyuubi was sealed into your body, and that is why you're a monster, a DEMON, to everyone in this village… you're a worthless brat who is only a danger to everyone else… Naruto… from the day you were born, you were meant to be spat on, harmed, tortured, and hated against for the rest of your life!!!!!!!"

Naruto stared blankly ahead as his both horrified and terrified mind slowly came to realization at exactly why people called him monster… because he was ONE!!!!!!!

"DON'T LISTEN TO HIM NARUTO!" Iruka screamed out as he gagged and choked on his blood. "YOU MAY BE A CONTAINER FOR THE KYUUBI, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE THE KYUUBI ITSELF!!!

Iruka let out a gasp as he struggled to make Naruto see the truth.

"YOU'RE STILL A HUMAN NARUTO, YOU'RE NOT A DEMON, YOU'RE NOT A MONSTER, YOU'RE JUST NARUTO, DON'T LISTEN TO MIZUKI!!!!!"

Hearing this, Naruto whispered, "but then why… why does everyone…"

Iruka interrupted him. "Because no one sees you as the hero the Yondaime Hokage intended you to be!!! Instead of seeing you as the Kyuubi's jailer, they see you as the Kyuubi itself. But I NEVER saw you that way… I know you're a real person, you've got emotions and human feelings just like any other normal blooded hu-**GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH**!!!!!!!!!"

He was interrupted as another large shruiken slammed into him. If it didn't kill him, he would never be able to be a ninja again, Iruka was now a limbless body…

Mizuki laughed cruelly. "Quite the touching conversation that's happening here. Unfortunately, I really am in a rush… Naruto, great job, you just betrayed your village by stealing the forbidden scroll, and you just managed to get Iruka here killed. A demon's work beautifully done, as always."

Then, Mizuki grabbed the scroll and sprang up into the trees, running away, laughing.

"Damnit… DAMNIT… Iruka-sensei… I'm- I'm… sorry… I'm so sorry…" Naruto cried as he held the dying Iruka in his arms.

"Naruto… I… know I was harsh… on you… but you know that I was only so… because I cared for you… I wanted you to get better…" Iruka said, in almost a whisper. "Naruto… you may not be the best at chakra control… but your life has been a storm… of pain and suffering… but yet, you're always a positive spirit, always hoping, hoping for the future… Naruto… I jumped in the way today because I saw that hope within you… Naruto… don't give up, don't give up to the urges of self-pity and wallow within it forever… you must have hope, you must not give up!! Achieve your dream as Hokage Naruto, or any Kage… and never… never forget… you are just a container for the Kyuubi… you are not the real monster… the real monster wouldn't cry over a dying person… Naruto… never forget that I believe in you… and always…believe…in…your-sel…"

With one last utterance, Umino Iruka slipped into the hands of death, leaving an uncontrollably sobbing Naruto at his body.

His body dropping lifelessly onto the ground, the kind man known as Iruka-sensei to Naruto, the only person left in the village who Naruto believed to care for him, was… dead.

**End Flashback**

Author's Note: Well, this is the second chapter to this story. I am feeling pretty good about it, I have already written the next two chapters and will post them soon.

Up until the fourth chapter, the story will be told in a relatively random flashback/present/flashback sequence, in order to clarify exactly what happened in Konoha.


	3. Hope

**Uzukage**

Summary: 12-year-old ninja failure Uzumaki Naruto escapes from Konoha after the village council ordered him executed. Running into two old friends of the past, Naruto begins his own hidden village.

**Disclaimer: I _wish _I owned Naruto.**

**Begin Flashback**

"**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! IRUKA-SENSEI!!!!!!!!!**" screamed Naruto into the harsh night as blood red chakra started pouring out of him.

And then, a voice.

**Kill. **

The demon within him whispered. **Kill the traitor. Unleash your anger. Revel in your fury and his doom!!!**

Possessed, Naruto's body jumped into the air, his blinding red aura shooting sparks into the sky as his wounds healed at unheard-of speeds. He rocketed off a tree trunk and, taking giant leaps, went from tree to tree at amazing speeds.

"MIZUKI… WHERE ARE YOU??!!" He roared into the night sky as he trailed the direction where the traitor had run off. His chakra lashed out, smelling for Mizuki's scent.

Immediately, he caught a whiff about a hundred meters from his location. Rocketing off once more, he closed the distance in a matter of seconds.

Mizuki was quietly laughing as he looked over the scroll's contents. "Ooo… Kage Bunshin… Rasengan… Edo Tensei… my my this looks delici_-_"

**_POW!!!_**

Mizuki's head was slammed into the air as he tumbled over, screaming in pain as he turned to see his attacker.

His eyes widened significantly in fear as he stared face to face, eye to eye, with the slitted red-eyes that had haunted Konoha for years…

"ARRGGHHH!!" he shouted. "GET AWAY FROM ME, DEMON!!!!!"

"**Mizuki… I will rip your body parts off one by one, and then roast you on a BBQ grill until your heart melts into blood… actually, no, fuck it, I'll just KILL YOU LIKE YOU DID IRUKA-SENSEI!!!!"**

And with the burning image of the Kyuubi's eyes ingrained into his mind, the traitor Opotsu Mizuki screamed his last breath as a chakra-boiled hand ran through his chest and ripped out his still-beating heart, crushing it, blood gushing out and forming pools at Naruto's feet.

As revenge was served, the Naruto's body rapidly tired as the Kyuubi chakra faded, his eyes turning normal and his body becoming less feral.

"Iruka-sensei…" he whispered into the night as his knees buckled and he dropped to the ground, unconscious.

**-End Flashback-**

Naruto woke up with a refreshed body and mind. _The wonders an afternoon nap can do for me…_

**_Rumble._**

It was a gigantic rumble, something so loud and so ferocious that anyone within a mile radius could hear it.

Naruto jumped up and whipped his head around, trying to see where it was.

Rumble.

The smaller and softer one alerted Naruto to the location of the rumbles:

His stomach.

_I'm HUNGRY!!!_ His mind and stomach practically shouted together. He hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day!!

Rampaging through the sack, Naruto quickly found two Dango (Rice Balls) Sticks along with a can of salted fish. _Thanks, old man…_ he thought as he ravaged into the food like a starved wolf.

Maybe I should get out of this location, lest those crazy ninjas come back again and start making impossible promises and horrible puns…

Clearing up his scent by washing himself at a nearby stream, he leaped onto a tree and began running, as fast as his legs would allow him.

**-Flashback-**

Splash.

"Wake up, shitface!!" A powerful and painful kick to the stomach. "I said, wake the hell up!!!"

As Naruto opened his eyes, feeling the cold, damp floor for the first time, he felt another foot, even more powerful, this time slamming against the back of his head.

A blinding flash of white erupted within his mind as he screamed in pain.

"Good, the dumbass is up." Naruto looked up into the eyes of a coldly smirking Ninja with a headband of the leaf. "Now brat, listen carefully. The village council has ordered your execution for the deaths of Umino Iruka and Opotsu Mizuki, in addition to stealing the priceless forbidden scroll containing Konoha's most secret jutsus. You're a monster to them, and even with Hokage-sama's veto, the council has overruled him in an unanimous vote to send your sorry ass to hell."

Naruto's eyes widened in fear. He looked around the dark storage room, seeing dusty boxes labeled "Kunai Inc." and "Shruikens R' Us." Another box said "Handle with Care, contains Explosives." And apparently, the only other presence besides himself was this… man.

The man looked old, with narrowed eyes and messy white hair. He had a smirk on his face, and his hands fingered a mid-sized shruiken. But despite the markings of his age, he had powerful arms and a muscular chest.

"Now, I don't disagree with them. You're a monster, a demon in my eyes as well. In fact, if I wanted to I could kill you right now and save you the torture of looking into your fellow classmates' and villagers' betrayed and cold eyes as you are burned alive with a Katon jutsu."

Naruto gasped weakly. "B-but… I… I didn't kill Iruka… a-and… Mizuki… told me to…"

He was interrupted.

"Shut up. Do you really think Konoha gives a _shit_ whether you were innocent or not? Do you really think the fucking primps who've been after your blood for _12 years_, from the day you were born, who are seated in the high council gleefully reveling in their victory, would give a SHIT if you were innocent? No. You are a demon, an evil monster, and you must be _cleansed_."

Naruto didn't say anything. He simply stayed on the ground, in a slightly laying position, weakly supporting himself with his arm.

"And to make matters worse, you actually let your kyuubi chakra _pour out_. The whole east side of the village felt it. And everyone knew, they _knew_, that it was you, and guess what? The first ANBU who saw you… also saw you rip out dear Mizuki's heart in cold blood, with the chakra of your _demon_. Great job, brat."

Naruto's heart sank as the cold feeling of impending death washed over him. _There… there is no way… I can appeal… there is no way… I can live…_

He looked into the eyes of the old but strong man. "Kill me then… old man… I would rather die here… than in front of the people who hate me…"

I don't know where I am or who this guy is… but it doesn't matter, none of it matters…

The man was silent for half a minute. And then he spoke.

"I'm not going to. I'm going to let you live. I've planned out an escape route that you can take, behind this storage room is a secret entrance to a tunnel that was built long ago for smuggling explosives. When you reach the end you will come out into a clearing that will be about three miles from Konoha. From there, you will travel east, and depending on where you are going, you will be headed toward the Wave Country. Crossing the water will lead you to Kirigakure, where you could pursue a ninja career. Or, you can turn north, where you will enter a relatively new village called Otogakure. Either way, you will be safe from pursuers in either village."

Naruto was shocked as he took in the information. This man, this _old _man with crazy white hair, who just moments ago had been laughing at him and calling him a demon brat, was now… helping him… live.

"But… _why_…" Naruto whispered. "Why… are you helping me?"

The man reached an arm to a table, and pulled off a dusty old picture settled on it. He placed it in front of Naruto without a word.

Naruto looked at the picture. There were three figures in it… a smiling woman with black hair, a white-haired child who was kneeling on the ground, and another older, white-haired man who had an arm around the woman and a hand on the child's shoulder. The caption read, "The Opotsu Family – Chinteka Vestra, Opotsu Mizuki, and Opotsu Renda."

_Opotsu Mizuki_…

With a jolt, Naruto came to the startling realization that this man in front of him…

Was Mizuki's father.

The man interrupted his thoughts. "I knew my son had turned evil a year ago when my wife was drowned in the bathroom, about a week after my business was officially bankrupt. I didn't have evidence that Mizuki had killed his mother, but I knew, I _knew_, somehow, that he had played some part in Vestra's death. I wanted to kill him, but the little bastard lied to the Council and told them that _I _killed her. There was no proof for him either, however, and so the village council passed a restraining order for both of us. Since then, he has lived on the west side of the village, while I have this shabby warehouse to live in. Brat… you did me a favor today… by killing my bastard of a son."

Naruto simply stared. _Mizuki… his teacher… was so evil… that he would murder his own mother and try to get his own father executed??!!_

"This warehouse used to be part of my business, Opotsu Weapons Co. However, Shinko Tenone and his darn Shinko Ten Arms Factory crushed my business in the competition, and so I had to smuggle in kunai from Kirigakure in order to sustain my business. Needless to say, I soon went bankrupt, but the tunnel that I used is still here."

No wonder there were so many boxes of _weapons_…

The old man seemed to have soften as his mind went over the memories of his past. He almost seemed… _nice_. But then, as quickly as it had appeared, his nice expression soon turned into a sneer as he glared at Naruto.

"So… brat… are you going to take this chance or not? You can either run your ass out of my house right now, or you can wait while I call the ANBU to arrest your little face and smoke you alive in about eight hours. It's about four in the morning right now. You have about an hour under the dark to make it as far away from here as you can, and then we'll just hope that you're far enough from this village when the sun rises."

I have to run. This is my only chance.

_But… where would I go? What would I do? Will I ever come back?_ These questions plagued Naruto as he pulled himself together.

But then he saw Iruka's dying face in his arms, and heard Iruka's last words… "_Achieve your dream as Hokage Naruto, or any Kage… and never… never forget… you are just a container for the Kyuubi… you are not the real monster… the real monster wouldn't cry over a dying person… Naruto… never forget that I believe in you… and always…believe…in…your-sel…"_

With that thought in mind, Naruto's face hardened into a determined expression as he realized… _Iruka-sensei… you sacrificed yourself so that I could live on… if I let myself die I would be dishonoring your name and your will forever. Iruka-sensei, wherever you are… thank you… thank you… for giving me the chance, and the WILL, to LIVE!!!!!_

With a nod towards the old man Opotsu Rendan, Naruto rocketed off his feet, preparing to run the escape for his life.

BANG! 

Until he crashed head first into a wall.

"We're _inside_, dumbass! The trap door is over there." A laughing Rendan pointed at a small door near the corner of the room, covered by books and boxes. "Oh yea… before you go, I prepared you a small knapsack of some food and a blanket. It won't last you long though, so I recommend you head for a village, unless you know how to hunt or cook. Naruto nodded sheepishly, muttering a quiet "thanks." He grabbed the bag, opened the door, and with a last wave to a surprisingly… smiling Rendan, Naruto disappeared, sliding down and then running as fast as he could through the underground tunnel.

**-End Flashback-**

The sun was setting. As it grew darker, and slightly cooler, Naruto came into a clearing.

He held his breath in awe as he marveled at the sight before him. A slight breeze tickled his hair as he walked out of the trees and onto the sun-streaked grass billowing along the plains.

_This is… beautiful…_ he thought as he breathed out.

Naruto was standing at the edge of the forest. Ahead of him was about a mile square of relatively flat grass-littered plains. To his left, he could see the ocean in the horizon, to his right, was a stretch of water with land behind it. And ahead of him, about a mile away, was the sea, the vast and powerful ocean. _I think I'm on a sort of… peninsula…_

Naruto smiled. There was not a soul in sight. It was simply him, and _nature_. He created a few Kage Bunshins and sent them to scout the exact borders of this peninsula, as well as a few more to scout the woods behind him, to make sure that no pursuers had followed.

This place is so beautiful… how is there no one here but me? Well… whatever… I guess this is where I will make my camp tonight.

After he had set up camp and ate the remaining rice balls and fish, he ordered a few more Kage Bunshins to go hunting. _Wow, this jutsu is so useful…!! _Naruto thought as he contentedly settled onto his blanket, using his folded knapsack as a pillow.

His earlier scouts had returned back. West of him was the Fire Country, whose borders he had just passed an hour ago. East of him was the vast ocean. And south of him was the sea, but if one traveled further they would end up in the Wave Country.

He chuckled – that was where he was _supposed _to go. But he had forgotten, and obviously, ended up here instead. _But here_, he thought, _is better._

Naruto smiled. A Kage Bunshin scouting the woods returned back and told him that there were simply no human presences north or west of him for the nearest twenty miles. The border of the fire country was far off, and as long as he didn't go near it, he wouldn't be chased by Konoha shinobi any time soon.

As he pulled the blanket over himself, Naruto let out a loud yawn. Summoning two more Kage Bunshins to patrol and guard, Naruto slowly fell asleep once more after a long, hard, but _very _interesting day. _If no one finds me… I just may stay here for a very… long… time… _were Naruto's last thoughts as he met the warm embrace of peaceful slumber, the first one he had in a long time.

**A/N: Naruto has settled down, and he will start his future village on that peninsula :)  
**

**If you're wondering where it is in the Naruto world, go to **

**http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/8099/mapofnarutojp3.jpg**

**Yes, I did take an image of the map of Naruto's world and I drew on it. So it is not my own drawing, the actual URL is**

** http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/8461/map9sz.jpg. **

**Just giving credit where it's due.  
**

**  
**


End file.
